The sky here looks different, somehow.

Submissions

Speculative fiction. We especially like science fiction and fantasy but will read anything that grips us. We’re not looking for erotica.

Submit completed manuscripts to submissions AT asterismpress DOT com. Rich text format (.rtf) preferred, but we’re not here to tell you which word processor to use. Use the subject line ‘SUBMISSION: (Your title)’ for best results.

We purchase nonexclusive electronic and anthology rights, and the right to distribute the material under a Creative Commons license (CC-BY-NC 4.0). We accept reprints (though please indicate where it has appeared previously, if feasible), but would rather avoid simultaneous submissions (it really is a headache for everyone involved). If we accept your story, we’ll pay you a flat rate of $30. Please bear in mind that most publishers will not buy reprints, so don’t send us anything you’d like to sell later.

Strange Constellations is open to submissions from July 1 to August 31, and again from January 1 to February 28. We’re in the Pacific time zone, though if you miss the deadline by a day or two on either side you’re probably fine. We try to respond to all submissions within thirty days of the close of our submission periods. We respond to all submissions; if you haven’t heard from us within that time, please query us at rmason AT asterismpress DOT com.

19 thoughts on “Submissions”

Sorry it’s taken so long to approve this! Got picked up as a false positive by my spam filter, I’m afraid. I’m working on finding a better one.

For the foreseeable future, Creative Commons will be required (it’s included in our contract). As tempting as it is to bend the rules for a great story, Creative Commons is important to us and to this project. That said, we sincerely believe Creative Commons is good for both writers and readers, or we wouldn’t be using it at all.

On Horrortree it says the pay is $15, here it’s $30. I was just wondering which was correct. Also, if I understand, a Creative Commons license means others can take my work, modify it, take away/add to it, as long as they give credit, correct?

Sorry it’s taken so long to approve these comments! They got lost in my spam folder. I’ll work on getting a better filter.

The $30 is correct. I was able to secure a bit more funding at the last minute, so their information probably came before that change was made.

And yes, CC-BY-NC means that anyone is free to distribute, and modify your work, so long as they provide proper attribution (including links to the original, if feasible), indicate if they made changes (and what changes were made), and so long as it isn’t being used in a primarily commercial fashion.

We’ll consider it, but generally, the closer to the minimum it is the better. In our experience, too much below 3000 and a story often feels either cramped or incomplete. (That said, if it blows us away, we’re not going to let the guidelines stand in the way. Never hurts to try!)

Can we expect confirmation emails about our submissions, or if we don’t get one should we assume something went wrong and we should query/resend? (Asking because I somehow only just now realized I didn’t get one.)

We don’t currently send out confirmation emails, but we probably should. That said, if your story is called “There Was A Crash,” we did receive it. Responses are going out in the first two weeks in September, so you can expect one soon. Thanks for submitting and take care!